Senior Jackie Chao used to log onto YouTube to watch music videos of Nicki Minaj. Now, she uses it to learn BC Calculus through the “flipped classroom” method of teaching.
“The flipped classroom approach is amazing, and I learn dramatically quicker than just taking notes in class,” Chao said.
The flipped classroom is exactly what it sounds like – homework in class, and classwork at home. The “classwork” is done by logging onto a teacher’s YouTube channel and watching a 5-15 minute lecture.
The next day, students apply what they have learned when they do their “homework” at school.
“When you’re working on homework in class, the teacher can explain it to you really easily, and that’s where concepts are learned,” Chao said.
This concept was brought to RISD in 2011. Each of the four high schools picked one teacher to try out the new method. Principal Charles Pickitt thought that calculus teacher Chad Gilliland was the one to implement the flipped classroom at Richardson High School.
“Mr. Gilliland was the visionary who wanted to try the flipped classroom,” Pickitt said. “He is very creative and recognized that it would enable him to have double the class time each day. From a teacher standpoint, it’s absolutely fantastic because you can actually double the time students are studying your material.”
Although the flipped classroom concept is in its infancy, students and teachers are quickly adapting to the new concepts.
“At first I thought the flipped classroom wouldn’t be for me, but once I really got into it, I enjoyed it and actually learn at a much quicker pace,” senior Sarah Jones said.
However, not all reactions have been positive.
“Its really easy to get distracted when I try to watch videos on my computer,” sophomore Tyrik Patterson said. “I would rather have the teacher teach me in class and let me sit down and do homework at home in a more focused manner.”
One aspect of the flipped classroom that appealed to Pickitt was that it allows students to learn at their own pace.
“Students can even go back and refresh after the lesson,” Pickitt said.
Junior Hayden Seagraves said she takes advantage of the rewind button which a typical classroom setting doesn’t have.
“If I don’t understand something going on in the notes, I can always just hit the rewind button and listen again to fully absorb what my teacher is saying,” she said.
In addition, many college classes are taken online.
“I wish we had used the flipped classroom learning style all the way through my years in high school because it is extremely reflective of how you will soon be learning in college,” Blake Byrd, class of 2012, said.
Ohio State University professor Jeremy Strayer flipped his classroom and said he saw amazing results. Before the flip, 44 percent of his freshman students failed math. After the flip, only 13 percent of freshmen failed.
Mr. Gilliland also saw an increase in the understanding of the material by his students.
“My grades last year probably went up a full letter grade and my AP scores were higher,” Gilliland said. I have seen not just an understanding, but also the data proves it.
One concern that was raised was whether students who don’t have internet access would have difficulties learning.
Mr. Gilliland is already two steps ahead of this concern.
“I have laptops in my classroom or I can put a video on a flash drive that they can watch in the library. Everybody either knows somebody with an iPhone or a laptop, so it’s not that much of an issue,” Gilliland said.
The future of the flipped classroom may span beyond the math classrooms.
“A lot of other teachers have asked me about it,” Gilliland said. “We have some other teachers in math that are doing the flipped classroom, and others are inquiring about using it for English and also for science, so here at RHS it is starting to pick up some steam.”
After two years with a flipped classroom, Gilliland said he is thrilled with the results.
“I have never heard more legitimate math conversation between my students in class,” he said. I get to walk around and help my kids like an ‘on-call tutor.’”